thread on which to report positive things

[MiffyWhinge]

firstly the sun came out, hooray

secondly and even more welcome Joey didn't put a foot wrong today (once he started concentrating and stopped having a good look at everything around him). He managed to shoulder in, leg yield and, with a placer pole, put in a single stride of canter before a jump and do a double with a placer pole in between - he was a star, am ashamed of all the grumpy thoughts I've been having about him until recently. Clever, beautiful boy

please share yours!

[marge2]

EVEN BETTER - THE VET SAYS I CAN RIDE!!!! What a huge relief. I had her dead and burried not long ago!!

[marge2]

Woo hoo - My girl was a nutter today!!

It's a good thing - really!!!

She's been on box rest for 3 1/2 months so far crippled with laminitis as a symptom of Metabolic Syndrome ( rather like type 2 diabetes) This is only controllable through weight reduction by diet and exercise. I have been so worried she will need to be put down. She has had a couple of relapses, but has been SLOWLY getting sounder, but as I have not been able to ride, she has had to be starved basically to get her to lose the weight. The vet has said to start walking her out in hand to get her moving. Recently she has barely had the energy to walk round the paddock. She has been like a poor beach donkey. Yesterday she was shod. Today she obviously feels a LOT better as she was a total bloody psycho on the end of a rope and looked sound as a pound.

Will need to find my chiffney. .

Maybe I can start riding again to help her lose weight.

[Alicetheinvisible]

Yay Saggy! Sounds like a fab time

Today i got on my horse for the first time in ages. Think i have ridden once since November It went well, i only rode for less than 10mins but did manage to trot a bit. Really not helped by the flies bothering my mare. Hoping to ride again on sunday.

[Saggyoldclothcatpuss]

We are very tired but very happy. DD and I have just come back from PC camp at a centre in the midlands, where she participates and I work my bum off for my friend. DD has been absolutely amazing! From a really nervous child who didn't like to canter and only jumped 8 inches at trot, she has metamorphosed into a really happy kid who was storming round flat out with her friends and jumping 2 ft triple jumps! I am so proud of her I could burst! only trouble is she now wants a bigger pony! we have been to camp there for four years now and this has been the best so far! We are just a bit upset that the centre and our lovely friends are 130 miles away. We have to wait till October to go back, although it's something to look forward to, she and I are going to have jumping lessons from Jo Whittaker! ( shameless name drop! )

[Alicetheinvisible]

They are only £45 in Robinsons anyway. Think my 15hh mare may look funny in it though

[Butkin]

Oh Alice we only sold our cub saddle (quite reasonabily) on Ebay last week.

They are great. DD rode in hers from 2nd birthday until she was about 4. We still used it afterwards for lunging etc.

They fit anything, have a high cantle and of course a handle.

[Alicetheinvisible]

ooh, exciting.

DD sat on my friend's shetland last week and could sit by herself as she has a cub saddle. Thinking i could get one to put on my mare as they are not really shaped are they? Then when we get DD a pony we will already have the saddle. Still thinking about it though. Will be able to do more once this baby decides to arrive!

[Butkin]

Sooo cute Alice!

DD cantered her Sec B for the first time at home - up the stubble. Got soaked on way home but still grinning from ear to ear.

Back to his producers tomorrow though as we prepare for Equifest, BSPS and Royal London.

[Alicetheinvisible]

Bought DD her first riding hat today she then brushed and rode the rocking horse - very proud mummy

[Butkin]

PS Mummydoc - get her some books from the Magic Pony series. That will fire her imagination!

DD is currently "into" the Pony Club Secrets series. They are great!

[Butkin]

Great - we'll watch out for Alfie!

Our yard doesn't have a LR SHP.

DD has been schooling the SP at home because the little boy who owns him isn't always available. He rides him at shows though. This has enthused DD so she now wants a SP to add to her show team!

She'll still be 7 come January so will be the only child on the yard still able to ride SPs on LR so she may get some outside rides instead which may placate her.

DD likes going eventing (her Godmother has a string of eventers) but at the moment she only wants to ride at Royal International or HOYS. Come the Winter time she'll be talking about wanting to ride racing ponies...

[mummydoc]

the pony is called Alfie IV , does your dd not mind not riding the sp that has qualified ? i am sure she would love to ride at hoys, though my 5 yr old dd has already set her heart on badminton ! i did suggest the jumps may be a tad too big for noddy , but she is convinced he can do anything ...she ahs a real child's view /love of the pony ! she told me last night she was wishing he will grow wings and be like pegasus ( unlikely but hey i am not gogin to dampan her imagination)

[Butkin]

Great to have you back Mummydoc! Particularly delighted that your Sec A is working out and that you are all having such a fun time with him.

Managed to sell our wonderful Pally to a nice family in Guernsey. They were the only people to ring up and they knocked us down in price - getting themselves a great deal. He has only been there for a couple of weeks and already hacking out on the beach etc. We hope he'll be happy there and we know he turns his hoof to anything. Sad to see him go (especially for a bargain price!!) but DD needs to move onwards and upwards.

DD has a Sec B FR (another pally) which we bought in May and have taken to a couple of shows. He is a proven country schoolmaster and has taught her to canter which is marvellous.

We are avoiding PUK this year but he'll be going to Equifest next week, BSPS the week after and probably the Heritage - all to do Tiny Tots FR M&M.

We are going to watch the M&M LR/FR at HOYS (not with DD as she'll be at school) and DD is begging us to take her to watch the LR SPs on Sunday as she has been riding one that has qualified. Expensive but we may relent!

Fantastic news about the LR SHP - can you let us know what the pony is called so we can cheer it on?

[mummydoc]

haven't been around mumsnet for months
update on our nutty sec A - he is fab , complete turn aorund , steadya sa rock, did junior camp and won best pony, dd off lead rein, jumping him round xcountry course ( so cute) at local show at weekend and won 13 rosettes - we LOVE him soooo much .
Butkin glad to hear you managed to sell your pally eventually - though he looked so gorgeous i would have found it hard ot part wiht him, have you got a first ridden for your dd ?
Looking forward to cubbing starting, and we are off to HOYS as my god-daughter has qualified her lead rein SHP...we are going as cheif cheer leaders!

[Butkin]

Just taken DD to her first two-day Pony Club Mini Camp and we had a fab time. Children from 3 to 8 (DD was in top ride with 5 kids either 7 or 8).

She did riding lesson, gymkhana and hack on first day. On second day she had flat lesson, jumping lesson, E Test and hack(with treasure hunt) on second day - followed by prize giving.

Absolutely lovely experience and I recommend to any other parents considering going this Summer.

[Alicetheinvisible]

Ours are only on chaff, feed balancer and oil. No 'hard' feed at all, even when being worked, unless i feel they really need it.

[MitchyInge]

Am smiling just imagining the scene! I forget how young they are sometimes, it's mad really. Sounds like you had some fun

a small feed, he can be angelic most of the time but it's the thrills and spills that stick in the memory - he hasn't bucked or tanked off with my daughter since the very first weeks, but she's so quiet. x country, hacking, gymkhana are the things.

Actually am going to have think about feed.

[Alicetheinvisible]

Is he being fed?

Glad you had a great day, we went racing at Newmarket and there was a 2yr old who was being very amusing difficult to get on seeing people scattering in the paddock always makes me smile, is that bad?

[MitchyInge]

did not win ANYTHING on plus side knocked a few things over, goodness knows why that always cheers me up

and Joey bucked his rider off, what am I going to do with him?

[MitchyInge]

Not long to go though Alice!

Out of routine with both of them, but gymkhana tonight - gymkhana on oats. Want red rather than blue rosette but will plead for new event of galloping diagonally across lanes jumping obstacles supposed to bend round as we are unquestionably excellent at that!

[Alicetheinvisible]

Hello

Everyone is doing so well!

Not been on the tack room topic much, feel jealous of you all!

Mitchy have you thought about giving him an acp before hacking out? Make you both calmer and he will learn that hacking is enjoyable, but not overly exciting and cause for bad behaviour iyswim? Or hack him out after a particularly hard schooling session. Sounds a bit harsh, but easier to get them out of the habit as babies. Sounds like he is doing well though

[MitchyInge]

pleased for you lot, mildly pitying self!

hacked Joey and he felt amazing, just fantastic, am so so pleased about that

except for him inexplicably acting like an utter utter twit-with-an-a - there is nothing horrible or technically 'naughty' about his behaviour, and have laughed about it since, but the lovely impulsion just became more and more tightly coiled spring

crossed with rodeo bull

crossed with an idiot

my daughter has fear of hacking, so this coupled with his skill at bucking riders off when excited (especially ME ) and being on road with high probability of busting my face open or breaking limbs or getting mown down by vehicle was just too much adrenalin even for me

on positive side, his behaviour in school, on the ground, in a stable and most of time on x country is so improved - this business is just next thing to work on - well, overall trend fab and happening sooner than predicted

I NEED to become more assertive and 'if I get injured this will be very bad for daughter' because better riders get him, if not out of the excitement at least bit more manageable whereas I think 'yikes and wahey!' simultaneously

[CMOTdibbler]

Wow, everyone is having such success !

DS went to his first proper gymkhana at the weekend, sharing his friends little shetland. Much fun was had, and he came 6th in the sweet race, and she came 3rd in Musical mats. They had their sights fixed on handy pony though !

My positive news is that having taken on my share of Ben, we are getting on well, and have started lateral work. He's doing beautifully (having not done any before), and I'm very proud of him. I have signed up to do a walk/trot dressage test (just at the stables though) in August

[Saggyoldclothcatpuss]

Polly went back to stud today. She is full on in season, and was covered twice in hand straight off. She's staying till the weekend. I feeling very positive, am sure I'll get my foal this time round.

[Butkin]

Glad you had a good time Saggy and well done Lubbly's DD - that sounds a real achievement.